


Family

by zephsomething



Series: Surviving the War [56]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:14:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26035510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephsomething/pseuds/zephsomething
Summary: Harry had installed the phone in his house as soon as they’d built it, but he’d genuinely never expected anyone but Aurthur to call him on it. That was before Dudley had found out his daughter was magic.
Relationships: Dudley Dursley & Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Series: Surviving the War [56]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/813804
Comments: 4
Kudos: 66





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to @ithopoiia for editing a bunch of these so I can post a couple before going camping!

Harry had installed the phone in his house as soon as they’d built it, but he’d genuinely never expected anyone but Aurthur to call him on it. That was before people started telling him there was some crazy muggle asking around after him. It was before Dudley’s daughter was born with magic and his wife, Kathleen, had stared starry eyed around his home at pictures that moved and dishes that washed themselves. Kathleen had hundreds of questions that ranged from fairytale based to ‘my mother used to say’ and very few of them showed any working knowledge of magic. That being said she seemed to be taking it far more in stride than Dudley was, and he already knew magic was real.

By the time they were gone Harry wasn’t sure of anything except that somehow, by some miracle of fate or chance, Dudley had not only grown up, but managed to grow into a decent sort of guy. The only thing he couldn’t figure out is how exactly he and Kathleen had ended up together. There was no way Petunia knew about Kathleen’s love of strange tales and magical stories or she never would have approved of this marriage.

Just as Harry was getting used to having two babies Ginny announced that she was pregnant again. He was still trying to process the idea of a third baby (Al at least would be just over one, almost out of babyhood. James would be two and Harry didn’t want to think of the kinds of things he’d be getting up to with a new baby to try and wrangle) the telephone rang.

“Weasley-Potter residence, Potter here.” He answered automatically, though it wasn’t likely it was anything important.

“Harry,” Dudley’s voice was at least three octaves higher than Harry remembered it being. “Kathleen just said we’re having another one.”

“So are we.” Harry felt something like laughter bubbling up and forced it down. If he laughed now it might come out hysterical, and it would wake the boys.

“Oh good, well, I mean…” Dudley trailed off and Harry waited for him to gather his thoughts. The deep breath he took was audible through the line. “At least we’re in it together?”

“Yeah, at least we’ve got that.” Harry took a deep breath as well. Their newly reformed cousinhood thing was weird but at least it was weird for everyone. “My mate Ron just had his first too, a girl, they called her Rose.”

“That’s a nice name.” Dudley paused but it was the kind of pause that seemed like a thought so Harry waited again. After a moment Dudley made a noise like clearing his throat and kept talking. “Is it that redheaded one? Whose brothers made the candy that made my tongue grow?”

“Yeah, they didn’t-” Harry cut himself off with an apologetic noise. “-well they meant to bother you but they thought you deserved it at the time.”

“I was a right git back then, so were my mates, I think that’s why we all stopped talking when they went to college.” Dudley made a similarly apologetic noise. “I certainly didn’t make life any easier for you.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to do better now.” Harry shrugged and glanced down the hall, nothing moved near the kids room so he figured he still had some time.

“Yeah, show our kids how to be better.” The agreement was clear in Dudley’s tone and Harry felt another swell of something between confusion and appreciation.

“Did you and Kathleen want to come round for supper sometime this week?” It was an impulse, but Harry figured he’d better seize it. Somewhere along the way he’d forgotten everyone else had grown up too; it was nice to have a reminder. “Friday or Saturday maybe? School’s out so I’m not working but I know you’ve got some kind of job, right?”

“Yeah accounting, maths basically.” Dudley sounded distant suddenly and Harry heard a click and then paper shuffling. “I think we’re free Saturday, mum wants to do dinner with us Friday so I’ll have to see how Kathleen is if she’s not to-”

“Dear? Is that your cousin?” Kathleen’s voice sounded distant but excited. “Don’t let him go without making plans, I made a list!”

“A list?” Dudley sounded so confused Harry had to fight down laughter again.

“Of questions!” She was clearly coming closer now. “Saturday? It’s right after your mum’s dinner but really, we’re so busy the rest of the week. Harry are you there?”

“Yes?” Harry lost a little ground as the laughter entered his voice.

“Oh darling, you sound just as stressed as poor Dudley,”

“They’re having another too-”

“It’s just a baby, it’s not going to hurt you anywhere near as much as it’ll hurt me or Harry’s lovely wife.” Her tone was a mix of laughter and dismissiveness that didn’t help at all with Harry’s battle against laughter. “Saturday sounds lovely, you should see if any of your other friends wanted to come, your wife mentioned her mother, I have so many questions about children also-”

“Are you sure-?”

“I’ll be fine Duds, worst case I’m sure Ginny and her lovely mother who had seven children will not judge at all if I doze off.” The picture her words made entirely lost the battle against laughter for Harry. He tried to keep it quiet, but he could too easily imagine that Ginny would simply go to sleep as well and Molly would get that knowing look that she got so often these days. The one that was softer around the edges than Harry had ever seen her during his childhood. “See? Harry isn’t worried.”

“Harry is hysterical.” Dudley sounded like he was trying to be serious but he was losing ground as quick as Harry was.

“Just imagine it big D, our wives asleep at their table and my mother-in-law making all sorts of comments.” Harry snickered. At that Dudley clearly started cracking up also. Soon all three of them were just on the phone laughing and Harry felt a certain amount of tension leave his chest. Then he heard a wail go up followed by another cry. “Oh boy, there go my boys.”

“Go ahead darling, we’ll see you Saturday.” Kathleen’s voice still sounded like laughter as the line clicked and the dial tone came on.

Harry hung the phone up and headed for the back bedroom. They were going to have to split the two of them up at this rate, they were constantly waking each other up.

**Author's Note:**

> As always thanks for reading yall! I hope you're having as much fun as I am!


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